roots

Thriving and following the steps of independent acts before them, benjalu is a band that prides themselves on the old school approach of constant touring to promote their music. Since their formation in 2006 the Newcastle based roots-rock outfit have made the most of their successes. In 2007 benjalu concentrated on playing every week, mainly focussing on shows in their hometown. They capped off the year when the band released their debut EP ‘Reflecting On’ to an overwhelming response.

Don Letts’ came to notoriety in the late '70s DJing reggae music to punk crowds at 'The Roxy' club in London. He also started to document the punk rock movement in 'The Punk Rock Movie'. He continued to make documentaries across the spectrum of credible music including a celebrated film about Bob Marley. Musically, he was a founder member of Basement 5 and Big Audio Dynamite,the latter with The Clash's Mick Jones, managed the all woman punk group The Slits and collaborated with many post-punk outfits in the 1980s.

Guitarist and songwriter, Kurtis Gentle.
Quietly spoken and extremely determined, this 18 year old from country Victoria, Australia surprises a crowd once an instrument is put in his hand, whether that instrument be guitar, banjo or lap slide. With a seemingly effortless voice and intricate guitar work he is proving to be an immense and evolving new talent. Kurtis says his music could be described as acoustic roots and that he likes to keep things simple, but “simple” is not a word which comes to mind when watching him play his fast-paced fingerstyle guitar.